Movie review : Taking Woodstock

To me one of the most important aspects of a film is the pacing. Ang Lee is a masterful director and you can see his handywork here. I can’t think of another film that used pacing as a part of the story so effectively. The movie is very slow to get started. But you know that something huge is going to happen because, well, it’s about Woodstock.

Pacing like this can be dangerous because it depends so much on the mood of each movie goer. If a person is in a hurry to be entertained, they will get bored quickly. But if they trust in the story to deliver something entertaining and meaningful…then it can work. So I can tell you now: if you go into this movie in the mindset that you want to be grabbed by the story right away then you’ll be disappointed. You’ll just have to trust that Ang Lee is going to get you there.

The question is, does the story deliver in the end? This is where I’ll give the movie a B+. I think an A+, home run for the movie would require that I felt, for just a moment, like I had actually been at Woodstock. Which would be a tall order. However, by the end of the movie I did wish that I could have been there . That’s good enough for me and I think that makes the story a success.

What else do you need to know? The acting, cinematography, etc, were all rock solid. I don’t see anyone getting an award for their role, but that’s mainly because there isn’t all that much to get excited about. If anyone stood out I would say it’s Elliot’s father. I thought he did a marvelous job.

What did you think about Taking Woodstock? Share your thoughts about the movie in the comments below.